Jana - A Wild Girl With a Broken Heart
by just-another-writer20
Summary: Jana didn't mean to fall for Rhydian. Not really. And when he rejected her, she was left completely heartbroken. But most definitely not alone...
1. The Lunar Eclipse - Part 1

"I'm the leader of the pack!" Rhydian said, baring his teeth.

"We'll see about that – come on, Maddy!" cried Jana.

The two girls cornered the boy, walking around him, growling and snarling playfully. Rhydian saw a small gap in the bush that he was being slowly forced into and seized his chance. He shot through the opening and ran through the forest.

"Yes! Go on, Jana," whispered Maddy. Jana nodded, her yellow eyes glinting with mischief in the moonlight; she sprinted past Rhydian before he could see her and hid behind a tree. Maddy kept chasing him, faster and faster she went, her dark hair whipping around her face.

Rhydian knew he was far ahead of Maddy already. He felt wild and free, it was something he'd never experienced before – all the best bits of being a wolfblood, but in human form. His legs could take him anywhere he wanted, he could hear everything, smell the leaves on the trees of the forest, and best of all he was with his best friend and the love of his life...

Suddenly, there came a shriek behind him that sliced like a sword through his ears. Maddy... what if she'd been seen or hurt or...

"ROAR!" Rhydian turned just in time to see a flash of red curls before he was knocked to the ground by Jana. He looked into her face, snapping at her hands as she pinned him to the forest floor. She looked back at him, her young, childish face making Rhydian smile an insane smile. Jana loved it – his smile. She loved everything about him; his intelligence, his loyalty to his pack and his human friends as well, the way he refused to buckle down under any rules. Jana savoured this moment because she loved him. And that was all there was to it.

"Who're leaders of the pack now, Rhydian? It's us!" Maddy came running towards the two, and took Rhydian's hand. But Jana growled – and she was annoyed with Maddy for taking this wonderful moment away from her. She rolled off him, letting Maddy pull him up, and tried to look cheerful again, so as to not arouse suspicion.

"The amazing Rhydian Morris – beaten by girls!" She cried, howling with laughter.

"Don't worry, Rhydian, maybe you'll beat us one day... when you manage to grow something other than sawdust between your ears!" Maddy yelped, holding up her hand to Jana "High five!" Jana looked at it, confused.

"Am I meant to do the same or...?" she held up her hand, mirroring Maddy. Maddy rolled her eyes, took Jana's wrist gently in her other hand, and touched it with her open palm.

"Yeah, yeah..." Rhydian sighed and started to walk away from the girls, looking up towards the moon. He spun round suddenly, an urgent look in his eyes. "Oh God, the eclipse – it's nearly over, we've got to get back to the den!"


	2. The Lunar Eclipse - Part 2

Maddy and Jana followed Rhydian, and the three darted through the twisted sea of trees and brambles, out of the woods and onto the path that lead to the Smith's house on the outskirts of the village. Black veins began to appear on their hands as Maddy yanked the key from her pocket, turned it in the lock and wrenched the front door open to find her mother pacing nervously around the hall.

"There you are! For goodness sake, I thought I could trust you to be back on time," Emma Smith glared at Maddy.

"They're here now, does it matter?" sighed Daniel Smith, passing through the hallway with two bowls – one pilled with raw meat, dripping in crimson blood, and the other filled to the brim with water.

Maddy lead the way into the cellar, unlocking the well-protected door; it was a dark room, with all sorts inside. Old pillows, sofas, bits of wood and straw. The only light came from a small skylight in the ceiling, which had been positioned specifically to show the moon every time it was full. Jana walked around the den, sniffing everything in sight.

"I like it – it's almost like the woods," she said, taking a deep breath in.

"Yeah, it's got everything a wolf desires," said Emma, taking the bowl of food from Daniel, and scattering the meat around the cellar. "It's more fun if you hide it, then we all get to find it for ourselves. It's in our nature to hunt and scavenge."

Jana had been sceptical about this, but now she was overcome with a longing to stay here forever; she liked the Smiths – they were kind to her – she loved the smells, and Rhydian was here too. If it wasn't alright, he wouldn't have made her come.

"Hurry up, Dad, you can't lock the door with your paws, can you?" cried Maddy. Her eyes were turning yellow like everyone else's, and the black veins now ran up her face too.

"Alright, alright!" Daniel pulled the door shut and slid the bolts across. "Now, Jana, we won't be able to get out of here until morning. Neat isn't it?"

Jana nodded, but she did not agree. When she lived with the wild pack, they transformed in the middle of the forest. They were far enough from any humans to risk being seen, so they just ran free. She could feel herself getting more and more worked up, the walls seemed to be closing in on her, she couldn't breathe properly...

Maddy stepped into the middle of the den and took her mother and father's hands. Emma took Rhydian's hand, and he reached out to Jana.

 _Too many people... It's too crowded... I'm locked in..._

Jana let out a scream, running towards the door and trying desperately to figure out how to unlock the door. She could hear Maddy and her parents telling her to stop, that it would be fine, but they sounded muffled, almost like she had a blanket around her head. In the end it was the feeling of Rhydian's hands on her shoulders that stopped her.

"Jana, it's ok," he whispered.

"But when I turn I'll probably attack someone!" she turned to him and sobbed with fear into his shoulder. He put his arms around her, stroking her hair.

"You won't – you'll be with other wolves and it'll be fine. You've got to get used to this now if you want to be part of the human world as well as a wolfblood. Jana, look at me."

Jana tried to keep her head down, but Rhydian gently took hold of her chin and lifted it up. "I promise you it'll be alright. Ok?"

"O-ok," sniffed Jana, rubbing her eyes. Rhydian kept one arm around her, leading her towards the circle. The wild girl took his and Daniel's hands and looked up at the skylight, right at the moon, letting herself get lost in its power and beauty. And she realised that it was ok; she was with other wolves, but this time they were people who loved her, her father never did. She looked at Maddy, who had her eyes closed and an enormous smile on her face. She knew that they would never see eye to eye, but she was kind to her and so were her parents. And Rhydian... he was there with her. He'd hugged her – a sign? Or just a friend supporting a friend? She'd figure it out in the morning.

Jana closed her eyes, and felt Rhydian and Daniel's hands leave hers, for they had become paws. The five were now wolves, sniffing, chasing each other, chomping on meat, and being themselves. The other half of themselves.


	3. The Howling Tree

Jana and Rhydian ran around the forest, jumping and chasing each other like two young cubs. Jana felt happier than she could ever remember feeling in her life. She was free; free of her father, free of the pressure of having to be an alpha one day. And she was with her best friend.

Her best friend that she was now sure she had fallen for.

Although Jana enjoyed the time she had with him more than anything, she couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same. How would she find out? She didn't want to freak him out by asking him... That could make things very awkward between them and jeopardise the amazing friendship that they had. The whole human concept of a 'date' also confused Jana. She knew that it was something most adults in the human world do (though some cubs start when they are very young) which involved going out somewhere or doing an activity with the person they loved. But what would they do? Would Rhydian want to go on a 'date' with her?

These thoughts often ruined the limited time they had together now that Rhydian had been forced to move back in with his foster parents, making her feel confused and sad. But she did her best to shrug them off and just have fun with her friend.

"Come on, let's go to the Howling Tree?" Jana called to Rhydian from the other side of the stream.

"The what?"

"It's a place I found. Come on."

She held out her hand to him. He took it, jumped over the stream, and was dragged along by her. After a few minutes of running, they had reached the hollow tree that Jana had come across one day after school. Rhydian gave her a confused look, so she walked towards the gap and let out a long, loud howl, which echoed through the bark. He laughed and did the same. They continued for a while, the beautiful noise catching them up in a trance. But Jana couldn't really enjoy it...

Thoughts about how much she liked Rhydian weren't the only thoughts that were bothering her. She was also having to deal with the guilt of having lied to Rhydian about being exiled. Jana knew she would have to tell him, but the idea of losing him was something that didn't even bare thinking about.

She left Rhydian by the base of the tree and walked over to the stream, staring at her own reflection thoughtfully. Tears began to burn her eyes and she kicked a stone into the water.

"That... was amazing!" she heard him say as he howled some more and the tree echoed his voice. He turned around and saw that Jana was no longer next to him; he walked towards her. "Jana? What's wrong? Is everything alright?"

"I can never go back, can I?" she muttered, sniffing a little. His concern for her made feel as though she loved him even more than before, if that was possible.

"You didn't have a choice, not after the way your dad behaved," said Rhydian.

"Rhydian," Jana turned to face him. He looked at her, frowning slightly. "When I arrived... I... The thing is, my father didn't throw me out."

"What?"

"He told me to come here and bring you back," she stuttered.

"So you were lying to me?" Rhydian cried angrily.

"I'm sorry..."

"The whole time?"

"I didn't know he'd betray us both," Jana pleaded, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"Why? I mean, why would you do that?" asked Rhydian incredulously.

"If I didn't, I knew you wouldn't come."

Rhydian shook his head in disbelief, turning away from her.

"Don't hate me. Please," Jana said. "Your world is all I've got now. If I'm gonna live here, you had to know the truth."

He began to walk away slowly, holding a hand out to her in an attempt to stop her following. When she did, he broke into a run; he shot away from the stream, so far that she could no longer smell his scent, and Jana was left standing alone, letting the tears fall from her eyes.


End file.
